Watch: Tourist Attempts to Halt Climate Protesters Vandalizing Stonehenge
On June 19, 2024, members of the environmental activist group Just Stop Oil vandalized the Stonehenge monument in Wiltshire, England, by spraying it with orange powder paint. This incident occurred the day before the Summer Solstice, a timing choice meant to underscore their demand for the incoming UK government to commit to a treaty that would phase out the use of fossil fuels by 2030. Two people were seen in a video shared online trying to prevent the vandalism, with one woman wrestling a vandal and a man taking the paint canister away. Outrages were expressed both by onlookers at the scene and by public figures; UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the act as a “disgraceful act of vandalism” and the Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer condemned the defacement as “outrageous.” Stonehenge’s management emphasized that the act was a criminal offense and suggested that the vandals might face prison sentences due to the damage to this protected monument. The group Just Stop Oil later named the two individuals responsible for the attack, highlighting their intent to draw attention to environmental concerns. The local police arrested the pair for damaging an ancient monument.
By Johnathan Jones June 19, 2024 at 12:03pm
Several parts of the historic landmark in Wiltshire, England, were tagged while a tourist attempted to prevent further damage to the iconic stones that make up the structure.
The group Just Stop Oil posted a video of the vandalism on social media:
🚨 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Spray Stonehenge Orange
🔥 2 people took action the day before Summer Solstice, demanding the incoming government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
🧯 Help us take megalithic action — https://t.co/R20S8YQD1j pic.twitter.com/ufzO8ZiDWu
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 19, 2024
Two tourists in the clip could be seen desperately attempting to preserve the stones.
A woman wrestled with one of the vandals before a man approached the protester and took his paint away from him.
Voices on the clip could be heard shouting at the vandals to please stop what they were doing.
Should protesters who do this sort of thing face significant jail time?
In a statement after the attack on the historic site, Just Stop Oil said, “Two Just Stop Oil supporters have decorated Stonehenge in orange powder paint.”
“They are demanding that the incoming UK government commit to working with other governments to agree an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030,” the group said.The extremists further threatened to go after cultural sites across Europe if their demands were not met.
➡️ Read our press release here: https://t.co/ukpzOuaTUE
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 19, 2024
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the actions of the climate protesters a “disgraceful act of vandalism,” according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer called Just Stop Oil “pathetic” and described the defacement of Stonehenge as “outrageous.”
BBC reporter Paul Clifton commented on the severity of the damage to the stones hit with the paint.
“I’ve heard a suggestion that because it is powder paint and the weather is dry and sunny, it may perhaps be removed without lasting damage, but they will need experts to inspect the stone before forming an opinion,” Clifton said after visiting the scene.
The group responsible for organizing the vandalism said the paint was corn flour-based and would wash away with rain.
Stonehenge is protected by the ancient monuments act and it is a criminal offence to damage the Stones. There are also multiple rare lichen species growing on the stones that are also protected. Expect a prison sentence. 😡 https://t.co/4sFprTUwUi
— Stonehenge U.K (@ST0NEHENGE) June 19, 2024
Just Stop Oil named the two men who defaced Stonehenge as 21-year-old Oxford student Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Rajan Naidu.
🦺 Naimh, 21, a student at the University of Oxford, is one of the people arrested for taking action at Stonehenge today.
💬 “Stonehenge at solstice is all about celebrating the natural world – but look at the state it’s in! We all have a right to live a life free from… pic.twitter.com/f0NeQlFalk
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 19, 2024
Police in Wiltshire confirmed the two were arrested on a charge of suspicion of damaging the ancient monument.
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